


Subterfuge

by tromana



Category: The Mentalist
Genre: Alternate Universe, Established Relationship, F/M, One Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-11-02
Updated: 2012-11-02
Packaged: 2017-11-17 15:00:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,204
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/552841
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tromana/pseuds/tromana
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Lisbon blasts Jane for his theatrics in front of the team, but is that all there is to the story?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Subterfuge

**Author's Note:**

> Written for hollygolightly2010 aka browneyesparker.

"Damn it, Jane. Why?"

"I don't know. It seemed like fun at the time."

Lisbon rolled her eyes as Jane smirked back at her. She clenched her fists a couple of times and she could feel the eyes of the other three agents in her unit boring into her. It was like she could tell that they were judging her for her very public outburst, like they thought she was being excessive in her reprimanding of Jane. After all, this kind of reaction was one she usually served him behind closed doors. But they all knew she could have a short temper on occasion, so this wasn't completely out of character. And besides, he deserved it. He'd been incredibly lucky; he could have screwed up the case entirely and then, the perp would have gotten away with murder. Literally. And as a team leader – and as a unit as a whole – Lisbon knew that they couldn't stand for such a thing. It was their job to put them behind bars, not give them loopholes and technicalities in order for them to slip through the net. Slowly, she let out a measured breath.

It wasn't that Jane was trying her patience, it was just that she liked being in control. And seeing him standing there, grinning as if he hadn't a care in the world just annoyed her on occasion. She wished he could see just how much damage he could potentially cause. She wished he would just tell her these madcap plans so she could apply damage limitation before everything went wrong. And she wished that he would just apologize for his misdeeds. It wouldn't make everything better, but it would at least be a start. However, this was Jane. Lisbon suspected that he didn't even understand the meaning of the phrase 'I'm sorry', never mind having actual cause to use it.

"I should suspend you," she growled.

"But you won't," Jane added, sounding almost a little too cheerful.

"No, because then I'd have to explain why to my supervisor. Then, I'd have to tell him how your idiocy nearly caused the death of three civilians _and_ one of your co-workers. And then, he would accuse me of having little to no control over you."

She waited as the words settled in the bullpen. Lisbon had already heard the sharp intake of breath from a certain Grace Van Pelt. Eventually, the magnitude of what she had admitted seemed to actually be noticed and Jane's face fell. He stepped forwards to touch her shoulder with his left hand, but she moved away to maintain the distance between them. Sweet gestures like that weren't going to mend the damage he'd already done – and continued to do – in the workplace. What she really wanted from him was for him to actually learn where and when to stop. It was one thing keeping him around because he closed cases, but it was another entirely tirelessly mopping up after the messes he made.

"Lisbon, I'm-"

"You know what? I don't want to hear it," she snapped with a shake of the head. "Go to hell, Jane."

And with that, she stalked off, knowing that the quiet mutterings between the team would start almost as soon as she left. But she didn't care; she had let off steam instead of letting the anger fester away inside of her and it felt good.

xxx

She was flicking aimlessly through a new book on leadership when there was an abrupt knock on her front door. Lisbon paused for a second, considering whether or not to wait and let Jane in or wait for him to let himself in. Without even having to move, she knew it was him. Nobody else would bother disturbing her at this time of night. At least, she considered, he had decided to have the decency to actually knock for a change. But then, he already owned a copy of her key, so there was no need for him to go through such formalities. When he knocked for a second time, she let out a heavy sigh, hauled herself to her feet and opened the door.

Jane stood there with a bottle of red wine in one hand, a plastic box of food in the other, and a bouquet of roses underneath his arm. Lisbon quirked an eyebrow in his direction; she genuinely hadn't expected this and quickly relinquished him of the flowers and wine. Then, he placed a hand on her cheek and leaned in to place a chaste kiss on her lips. She didn't flinch, she didn't pull away, but she didn't deepen it either. Once they were behind closed doors, then maybe, things would be different. Soon enough, he broke it off and Lisbon motioned for him to come inside.

"I didn't expect this," she murmured as he closed the door for her.

"That was rather the point," he said with a grin and he placed the tub down on her table. "Come here."

Immediately, she obliged and when he kissed her for a second time in the space of two minutes, she played a more active role. Gently, she allowed her tongue to run across his bottom lip before he granted her access. She could feel him smiling as they shared the embrace and automatically, warmth spread across her body. It had been tortuous at work, practically waiting for this moment when they would be free to act precisely how they wanted to act. Eventually, when she began to feel light-headed due to the lack of oxygen in her lungs, she pulled away and gently stroked his cheek.

"I've missed you," he said.

"We've been apart for what?" she paused to glance at her watch. "Three hours?"

"That's not what I meant."

She could feel her cheeks burning in response to his statement. Of course, he meant that he'd missed the physical intimacy they shared behind closed doors. But there were many reasons for them to keep their relationship quiet and besides, they were still figuring out just how they worked together as a couple. It was difficult, trying not to blur the line between co-workers and lovers, but she thought they were doing an okay job.

"Were you really that angry with me today?" Jane asked.

"I was angry, but maybe not _that_ angry," she said, her voice quavering slightly. "Was it a bit much?"

Jane chuckled and nodded in response. She sighed, but he gave her a peck on the cheek before taking her hand and leading her through to the kitchen. It was too late now, but even so, she couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed. All she could do was hope that the team believed that she was still as irritated by Jane as ever, and that absolutely nothing else was going on between them. That was why she had acted in the way that she did.

"I made cannelloni. We should eat before it gets cold."

"Sounds perfect," she stated, with a warm smile.

And she meant it. As far as she was concerned, right now, there was nothing better than spending time with a certain Patrick Jane. From what she could tell, the feeling was entirely mutual.


End file.
